Since we are proponents of a strengths-based workplace and culture, we firmly believe in employees working and playing to their strengths.  We also recommend a collaborative communication and feedback model where employees ask for and constructively receive feedback, and managers productively communicate and give said constructive feedback.

That being said, what happens when an employee plays to her strengths and takes initiative when her manager is too overwhelmed to notice? Does she say something? Does she point it out?

Listen in as Dawn Shuler recounts an actual experience with a client and their recommended solution.

What would you recommend?

Other podcast episodes referenced:  Are you an A, B, or C player?, Are you purpose driven?, Collaborative Employee Engagement Model, and What radio station are you tuned into?

Other resources mentioned: Top 5 Reasons Your Employees Are Not Engaged and Employee engagement as a two-way street

The post Episode 142 – Do I say something? first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

With the Coronavirus epidemic, we’re having to shift and adapt rapidly, more so than ever before.  At the same time, many of us are finding we don’t have as much energy as we’re used to, yet we still might be expecting the same level of productivity.

Honestly, right now, that’s just not possible.

Listen in as Dawn Shuler shares a helpful concept to understand our shifting and waning energy levels – and what to do about them.

Other podcast episodes referenced:  Navigating turmoil, Crisis and compassion, and Are you counteracting the din?

The post Episode 141 – Jack, be nimble. Jack, be quick. first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

Listen in as Dawn Shuler interviews Jenny Podewils, co-founder of Leapsome, a company devoted to feedback, employee engagement, and individualized learning. We had a spirited discussion on the challenges that many organizations face (lack of alignment, speed of learning, and organizational health and culture).

Some great soundbites:  “Feedback is the accelerator for leadership effectiveness” and “Feedback is the basis of all learning.”

And, of course, we talked about the Coronavirus and how her company is dealing with it as well as how their clients are handling the new normal.  (Hint: there are some fantastic suggestions, especially with regard to teleworking and maintaining a positive company culture!)

Other related podcast episodes:  Employee engagement is a two-way street

Jenny von Podewils is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of Leapsome. Leapsome supports fast-growing companies such as Spotify, Trivago and Babbel in building high-performing teams with its continuous performance management & employee engagement software. Jenny is an alumna of the University of St. Gallen, University of Oxford and a fellow of Singularity University. Prior to Leapsome, Jenny led teams in business development, corporate development, and digital transformation roles in media and tech companies. In recognition of her work, she was recently honored as one of the 44 women to watch in Germany’s tech industry.

The post Episode 140 – Interview with Jenny Podewils, co-founder of Leapsome first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

We are in unprecedented times where things are changing, not just on a daily basis, but sometimes an hourly basis.  And then there is the emotional component.  There’s general worry and tension.  Some people are separated from their families.  None of us knows what to expect.

Things are constantly shifting, and we’re having to adapt.  That takes its toll.

So what about our organizations and businesses… how do we navigate these turbulent waters?  How can we position ourselves (and our businesses) so that we come out the other side stronger than before?

We can choose to sink in fear into the muck, or we can put in motion an action plan to rise above it and come out even stronger.

Most people naturally do a knee-jerk reaction and don’t plan for the future.  Now, with COVID-19, they have an “excuse” to be in survival mode.  But the truth is that most people are always in that mode.

Listen in as Dawn Shuler introduces her 5-part model for navigating these times.  (Hint: none of this is new; these 5 elements are things we should always be practicing.)

Other podcast episodes referenced:  What will we learn from all this?

The post Episode 139 – Navigating turmoil first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

COVID-19 is throwing into our faces a brand-new reality.  Things we thought were impossible and non-negotiable are now shifting into a new reality.  Everything from work to religious services to schooling is adapting.

The question is… what are you learning from all this?

Listen in as Dawn Shuler probes these questions and more.

Other podcast episodes referenced:  9 questions you need to ask your employees during COVID-19 and Beyond the knee-jerk reaction

The post Episode 138 – What will we learn from all this? first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

Now is the time that your customers, clients, prospects, and markets need to hear from you.  In the absence of communication, especially in these times, people turn to fear.  So, if you don’t communicate, then they’ll wonder what you’re hiding or what horrendous thing is on the horizon.

What do you communicate? What is your response to this situation we’re experiencing right now? What do your customers, clients, employees, and staff need to know? What do they need to hear from you? What is changing? What is not changing?

Listen in as Dawn Shuler shares what some other organizations are doing in response to COVID-19, as well as the importance of more frequent communication.

The post Episode 137 – You must respond. You must communicate. first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

In the throes of Coronavirus, we’re seeing (and experiencing sometimes as well) knee-jerk reactions.  Buy as much toilet paper as possible.  Restrict any unnecessary spending.  Restrict all spending.  Don’t take that new job.  Don’t pursue the new opportunity.  Yell at other people who aren’t doing what you think they should.

Our knee-jerk reactions are completely normal.  They are a result of our instinctive natures (lizard brain) trying to keep us safe.  The problem is that in times of crisis, we stay in that mode, which is not good for us.

Listen in as Dawn and Mark Shuler talk about how the instinctive center is taking over in response to Coronavirus, as well as the downsides of being in constant instinct mode.

Other podcast episodes referenced:  Reactive vs. Proactive, Proactive vs. Reactive revisited, and Crisis and Compassion

The post Episode 136 – Beyond the knee-jerk reaction first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

“For the times they are a-changin’” ~ Bob Dylan

We are in unprecedented times where things are changing, not just on a daily basis, but sometimes an hourly basis.  Everything from dining out to children being home from school, and so much in between, looks different today from how it looked two weeks ago.

And then there is the emotional component.  There’s general worry and tension.  Some people are separated from their families.  None of us know what to expect.

Pick a thing, and that thing has been affected.  

Here’s what we’re noticing, in our company, as well as in our colleagues’ and clients’:  Everyone is stressed, and productivity is abnormally low.

For all these reasons, we are halting any Company Climate Inventories that are in process or are upcoming in the next few weeks.  The results would be skewed and would not garner the results that this powerful diagnostic tool provides.

The Company Climate Inventory is designed to assess what is working and what is not, in the on-going, longer-term climate.

Our current situation is more immediate and requires a different strategy.

You still need to get a read from your employees and staff.  And in crisis mode (which many of us are in, personally and professionally), you don’t need one more thing to do.  However, if you don’t check in with your people and start to mitigate the fallout from these odd times, the damage could last far longer than just this current situation.

Listen in for the 9 questions you should be asking your people now.   

The post Episode 135 – 9 questions you need to ask your employees during COVID-19 first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

Weeks before the Coronavirus was the topic of every single conversation, my daughter had an incident that put us in immediate (temporary) crisis mode.  What I realized was that crisis, and one’s instinctive reaction to it, is like the undertow or current that can sweep one away.  And once you’re in the current, it can be awfully hard to extricate one’s self.  Listen in as I share four strategies to deal with crisis or a strong current on any level.

Other podcast episodes referenced:  Reactive vs. Proactive and Proactive vs. Reactive revisited

The post Episode 134 – Crisis and Compassion first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.

In this episode, Dawn Shuler interviews Rob Neilly, former professor and current wordsmith at Successful Messages.  Listen in as they cover

Other podcast episodes referenced:  Remote workers and What do your values say about you?

Other resources mentioned:  Crack your personality values code

Rob Neilly is a former college professor who taught business communication, business writing, office administration, and technology to students in certificate and degree programs for two of Canada’s largest colleges. In addition to higher education, Mr. Neilly is a trained virtual assistant, and a business writer who creates web, copywriting, blog posts, and other content.

Rob spent a considerable amount of time in various administrative and communications positions in not-for-profit organizations, and business sectors as diverse as IT and healthcare.

Mr. Neilly currently resides in Toronto, Canada.

Email: [email protected] Web: http://successfulmessages.com/

The post Episode 133 – Interview with Rob Neilly on Advanced Communication first appeared on The Shuler Group LLC.